I’ve done several Quetico trips coming through Cache Bay but have never ventured to any of the northern entry points, which seems like I’ll have to do this year due to COVID. I’ve read online that some entry points are more logistically difficult than others, meaning added drive time, difficulty in navigating to, and requires off site vehicle parking and several hour long shuttle rides to some entry points.

I have only four nights (maybe five) that I can use for my trip so I’d like to have all those nights be spent on water (opposed to having the logistic me of a northern entry point take off a day.

Which entry point in the north is the one that will get me on the water the quickest without forcing me to worry about shuttle services, where to park, etc.?

Which outfitter do you recommend for a canoe rental?

Any trip route advice based on the info provided?

- 5/24-5/29 trip dates, but hoping wifey gives me 7 days!
- I'm driving from Minneapolis
- All I need is one canoe rental. I have everything else.
- I’m single portaging
- I want to do a loop.
- Trip difficulty level is not a concern but I do want to budget time for fishing and nearby day trips.

Thanks for your advice!

Here are a couple options for you...

Drive up to International Falls, cross the border, then go east two hours to Atikokan and go to Canoe Canada Outfitters. They're right in the middle of town. Rent your canoe there and arrange a shuttle into either Beaverhouse, Nym or Stanton Bay. (You could enter at Lerome Lake, but you'll be paddling a bit before getting into the park at Sue Falls on Cirrus Lake.)

You are allowed to park at the Beaverhouse landing, but your car must have Canadian license plates if you intend to park at Stanton Bay. (I'm not sure about Nym... that would be a question for the outfitter.)

The Quetico park headquarters is on the south edge of town just before the White Otter Inn motel. You'll see it on the right side of the road... maybe a couple km north of Hwy 11.

There are a couple outfitters west of Atikokan that you can check with for canoe rental. Seine River Lodge and Indianonta Resort. If you're able to rent your canoe there, you might also be able to pick up your permit from them. Then you can drive straight in to Beaverhouse and get paddling right away.

Good luck!

p.s. Thanks for your post. I encourage you to register with the website and become a member. We're a good group. :)

I like the Beaverhouse entry. A good short loop is up to Cirrus, east to Sue Falls, the one significant portage to Kasakokwog (sp?), and back to entry through Quetico lake. You're only repeating 5 minutes close to entry. I wonder if you could pick up a canoe on your way to Int’l Falls and avoid the several hour round trip into Atikokan?

If you do go into Atikokan I recommend a factory tour at Souris River canoes. It’s interesting and not that long.

billconner: "I like the Beaverhouse entry. A good short loop is up to Cirrus, east to Sue Falls, the one significant portage to Kasakokwog (sp?), and back to entry through Quetico lake. You're only repeating 5 minutes close to entry. I wonder if you could pick up a canoe on way toup to IF and avoid the several hour round trip into Atikokan. (If you do go into Atikokan I recommend a factory tour at Souris River canoes. Not long and interesting.)"

The extra driving time to Atikokan is about an hour (or thirty minutes each way) from the BH access road turnoff from Hwy 11. As Jackfish mentioned, if you can get a canoe before the access road on the way from International Falls, that's how you could save time.

Since you are renting, you could use a shuttle and leave your car at the outfitter which would let you put in at one location and egress from another. Putting in at Lerome Lake would get you on the water quickly as it's only about ten minutes from Atikokan. Even though it will take you about five hours to reach the park at Sue Falls, you will be paddling on Crown land for that stretch and you won't notice a difference. From there you could do a route to Cirrus, Kasakakwog, McAlpine, Batchewaung and out through Nym Lakes. Nym is another short shuttle to Atikokan.

Shuttles will add up. But just driving your own vehicle an extra four hours (all of the extra legs in going to Atikokan/back to BH/back to Atikokan/and the leg from Atikokan to the BH access road on your drive home) at today's gas prices would cost about $70 just to do all of the extra driving should you choose Beaverhouse and rent a canoe in Atikokan.

Mentioned in another thread, as I recall: If one picks up Quetico permits in Atikokan, the extra time spent driving to/from Atikokan can offset the time required to paddle across Beaverhouse to check in at the ranger station.

TZ

Bill, the Cirrus, east to Sue Falls, loop looks like a solid option! Thank you for the suggestion. Also, turns out that I NO LONGER need to rent a canoe, so I will officially be outfitting myself completely.

With that in mind, if I did this loop from BH entry and I don't need to pick up a canoe from any outfitters, where do I get my permit and where can I leave my truck? Sorry if these are basic 101 questions, but anything Quetico related that is outside RABC and entering through Cache Bay ranger station is foreign to me.

There is a ranger station on Beaverhouse. Don't know when they open though.

ward0309: "Bill, the Cirrus, east to Sue Falls, loop looks like a solid option! Thank you for the suggestion. Also, turns out that I NO LONGER need to rent a canoe, so I will officially be outfitting myself completely.

With that in mind, if I did this loop from BH entry and I don't need to pick up a canoe from any outfitters, where do I get my permit and where can I leave my truck? Sorry if these are basic 101 questions, but anything Quetico related that is outside RABC and entering through Cache Bay ranger station is foreign to me. "

Parking at Beaverhouse access is easy and sure seems reasonably safe. As far as permit, BH ranger is traditional option, which might reverse your loop (which I did in 5 easy days, one a layover). I don't know if any of the businesses close to BH can issue permits. I'd just call park office and ask. They are very friendly and accommodating. I think we're it me, I'd opt for the ranger station to avoid the drive to Atikokan. I had sense you might be arriving later in day. There's a sandy beach north of ranger station that would be a fine first night unless you abhor sand like some do.

Is the Beaverhouse ranger station reliably open? It's an open parking lot right? Seems that I've read that one of those ranger stations might not always be opened as planned, and the parking lot can have a closed gate and locked...is that LLC?

Note it is 87 km/1 hour total out of your way just to get your permit at Atikokan then backtrack to the turnoff to Beaverhouse. If arriving later in the day, that may be a better deal than having to get to the ranger station on the lake in later afternoon. Just get to the lake and camp wherever you want.

Not to hijack your thread but I was about to ask a similar question. I have been to Quetico numerous times through Prairie Portage and Cache myself and am also going to do a Northern entry for the first time this spring. I'm thinking about going in at the Dawson campground, then to Pickerel and eventually to the Russell/Sturgeon area.

A must assume the northern part of the park isn't nearly as busy as the southern end...or is Pickerel a busy place? Or any of the other northern entries?
Joe

Joewildlife,
The Beaverhouse Ranger Station is open when it's supposed to be. You can contact the Quetico headquarters as you get closer to your arrival date for exact hours. (807) 597-2735

There is no gate on the way into the Beaverhouse parking lot. It's roughly 100 rods on a flat trail from the parking lot to the water.

The Atikokan ranger station is open until 4:00pm. You should try to arrive there no later than 3:30pm. Buy your fishing licenses before you leave home. Go to HuntandFishOntario.com and buy your Outdoors Card and fishing license before your trip so you don't have to waste time at the ranger station. It's a very simple process on the computer.

Consider staying in Atikokan after you get your permit. The White Otter Inn is only a couple hundred yards or so from the ranger station. There are other motels, too, and a couple pizza places downtown. You can also stop by the Souris River canoe factory for tour if you're so inclined.

Prairie Portage is the busiest entry point into Quetico and Beaverhouse is used the least. With that said, PP isn't "that" busy and there are always quite a few vehicles in the Beaverhouse parking lot. The bottom line is you probably will see a few canoes and people near the entry point, but after that, you might not see anyone for days. Kind of depends on the lake.

Maybe more information than you were looking for, but I hope you enjoy your first trip to the northern part of Quetico.

Jackfish, thanks for all the info, it was what I needed to hear!
I felt silly asking a "newbie" question like that, after all my experience in BWCA, Quetico, Wabakimi, and Woodland Caribou!

I also appreciate the advice at staying in Atikokan. Might stay there, driving to Duluth one day and to Atikokan on the second. OR marathon it to International Falls and hit the Q the next day. Probably get 2 more days on the water the second option.

Joe

The portage from the BH lot is about 900 m now because of lower than normal water levels. I heard they have a tonne of snow in the region though so let's see if there's a reversion to the mean.

I'm pretty sure the only lot with the domestic plate restriction is Stanton Bay.

As for the number of paddlers in the northern entry points, there are already a number of folks on this board who have adjusted their plans to enter from the north. This could be a sign that the northern entry points may be busier than normal if the southern entry points remain closed for the season. By what factor is difficult to say.